Prioritising Reform, a progress report on the key recommendations made in the Australian Infrastructure Plan, finds that while there has been clear improvement across the Australian infrastructure sector in the past two years, there is still a lot of work to be done.

The Australian Infrastructure Plan made 78 comprehensive recommendations to address infrastructure gaps and meet the future needs of Australia's growing population. It provides a reform and investment roadmap for Australia's governments to ensure our infrastructure drives productivity, improves our standard of living and delivers world-class services in our cities and regions.

Chief Executive of the Property Council of Australia, Ken Morrison, welcomed the release of the progress report and acknowledged the vital role of Infrastructure Australia in advising on our infrastructure priorities.
 
‘Progress is being made in planning, funding and building the infrastructure projects we need to support a growing Australia and to ensure our future productivity and economic prosperity,’ Morrison said.

The progress report notes there has been some progress in establishing institutions or processes that enable improved metropolitan-scale coordination, planning, and delivery, particularly in our largest cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. 

While there have been positive developments in Brisbane and Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have not taken specific action towards establishing metropolitan-scale governance institutions. The report notes that improved metropolitan planning and coordination at the state level is progressing in these cities. 

"The findings of the progress report on governance reform are particularly important as our four largest cities will account for 75 per cent of our population growth.
 
"Getting the governance right for our metropolitan areas is absolutely essential if we are to create great cities that are prosperous, vibrant and inclusive.
 
"This was a key finding of the Creating Great Australian Cities project recently launched by the Property Council and is underscored by the experience of comparable cities globally,’ Morrison told WILLIAMS MEDIA.

Infrastructure Australia Chief Executive Philip Davies. says the proposed changes will be beneficial.

“The reform agenda we put forward in the Australian Infrastructure Plan is ambitious and politically challenging, but these proposed changes to the way we plan, deliver and use our infrastructure will deliver enduring benefits for all Australians,” Davies said.

“Over the past two years, it has been pleasing to see progress in heavy vehicle road charging, business case development, integration of land-use and transport planning and corridor protection. However, our progress report, Prioritising Reform, finds there are also clear instances where more action is needed.”

The Plan recommended the Australian Government initiate an inquiry into the potential benefits and impacts of road market reform, with a view to transitioning to a fairer and more efficient user-pays approach.

The Australian Government signaled its support for this proposal in November 2016 when it delivered its official response to the Plan, however, no inquiry has been forthcoming.

“Road market reform has the potential to deliver significant improvements in network performance and address fairness issues, while also establishing a secure and sustainable source of funding for our roads. Given the significance of this change and the scale of community consultation and consensus-building involved, it's vital that governments move forward on this important opportunity for reform,” said Davies.

Davies recently announced that he would leave Infrastructure Australia at the end of July after his three-year term as Chief Executive.

“I joined Infrastructure Australia shortly before the release of the 2015 Australian Infrastructure Audit, which then informed the development of the Australian Infrastructure Plan, the Infrastructure Priority List and the Reform Series which has to date covered topics as diverse as value capture, public transport franchising, corridor protection, urban water, future cities planning and the case for infrastructure reform incentives.

“Over this period, it has been heartening to see stronger collaboration between jurisdictions, a vast improvement in the quality of business cases developed for major infrastructure projects, and the creation of dedicated infrastructure agencies to help strengthen Australia's pipeline of future investments.

“Australia has never lacked vision, but we must keep up the momentum on reform if we are to meet our upcoming infrastructure challenges.

“Our hope in releasing this progress report, Prioritising Reform, is to encourage Australia's governments to embrace this national reform agenda to secure the social and economic benefits of great infrastructure for many generations to come,” said Davies.

Morrison said the progress report underscored the value of the City Deals approach which brings together all three levels of government in planning and prioritising projects for urban areas. 

"We need to be more ambitious for our City Deals above and beyond those already announced and make them an integral part of our metropolitan ambitions," Morrison said.

Infrastructure Australia will deliver the next Australian Infrastructure Audit in 2019 and the next Australian Infrastructure Plan in 2021.

View the Prioritising Reform: Progress on the 2016 Australian Infrastructure Plan on the Australian Infrastructure website.

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